Texas football suffered its first loss of the season today, and some people are very, very upset at Arch Manning and Steve Sarkisian.
During the Longhorns' 14-7 defeat to Ohio State, Manning, one of the most highly anticipated college football players in recent history, fell flat in the biggest game of his young career. The redshirt sophomore completed just 57% of his passes and threw for 170 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in a predominantly disappointing performance.
Not everyone is so quick to blame Manning completely, though. Dan Orlovsky, for example, made it clear he was not a fan of Sarkisian's play-calling today.
“Imagine having a generational talent at QB and having the training wheels on all game,” Orlovsky posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Orlovsky will not have to stand by himself in this criticism, as Sarkisian's play calls during key moments of today's loss will likely be questioned (at best) or torn apart. In particular, Texas turned the ball over on downs four times, including twice inside Ohio State's 10-yard line.
Still, Manning will certainly not escape the furor of college football fans after being anointed a Heisman Trophy preseason favorite and potential No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Manning and the Longhorns will now head back to Austin, where they will have to regroup and focus on San Jose State next week, the first leg of three straight home games vs. FCS or Group of 5 teams. The next time Texas will have to leave home is when it visits Gainesville to play at Florida on Oct. 4.
